Dominion Energy's gauge at the Lake Murray dam read 355.7 feet at 2:29 a.m. on October 12, 2026. By December it should read about 350, and it should stay there through the end of January 2027. Drawdowns happen every few years, and long-time lake folks have been through several. This one is different. The state's summer plan to spray the weedy coves never happened, so for 2026 the drawdown is doing a bigger share of the vegetation work than it usually does.
Exposed mud along your shoreline is the treatment plan this season. The repair window it opens still comes with paperwork.
The summer spraying that never happened
Early in July, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services handed out treatment fact sheets for three parts of the lake: Johnson Marina Road, Old Lexington Highway, and Crockett Road. The applications were planned for July 27 to 29. The Johnson Marina Road and Old Lexington Highway areas were to get Galleon SC and Aquathol K aimed at pondweed. The Crockett Road proposal covered the stretch between Rocky Point Drive and Crockett Road and targeted water primrose, coontail and naiad, and pondweed.
Then the treatment was called off. The SCDES invasive species management page now says the agency "will not be applying any herbicide to Lake Murray this year." Over the winter, SCDES and Dominion Lake Management plan to work out an approach that gives relief from problem vegetation "while accommodating existing drinking water intakes."
Last summer looked very different. The same SCDES page logs 51 acres of pondweed and 13 acres of hydrilla treated on August 5, 2025, plus another 38 acres of pondweed on August 6. That's roughly 100 acres treated in two days in 2025 and none in 2026. SCDES lists two tools still working this year: 2,650 grass carp stocked in 2026, and "an upcoming winter drawdown which will help dry out and freeze some of the plant material in the lake substrate."
The fact sheets show how close the water supply question was. They asked anyone drawing drinking water from the treatment areas to shut off their intakes for at least four days, pending testing. They named one utility intake, Columbia Water's Lake Murray Water Treatment Plant, and said it sat outside Aquathol K's 600-foot setback. The Old Lexington Highway sheet also notes that drawing lake water for drinking is outside SCDES permitting and not advised. Dominion's permits allow lake withdrawals for irrigation only. The cancellation notice doesn't give a reason, name anyone who raised concerns, or mention a public meeting. It refers to the intakes only when describing the plan that comes next.
The calendar from here to late spring
Dominion announced the drawdown on September 9, working with SCDNR and SCDES. A dry summer had already done some of the work. WLTX reported that the lake was already around 356 feet, so it needed to drop only about 6 more feet to reach the target.
| Date | Lake level | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| September 9, 2026 | Normal summer target is 358 ft | Dominion announces the drawdown and starts lowering the lake that month |
| October 12, 2026 | 355.7 ft, per Dominion's live gauge | Mid-drop |
| December 2026 | About 350 ft | Target elevation reached |
| Through end of January 2027 | About 350 ft | Lake held low so the exposed plants dry out and freeze |
| Late spring 2027 | Back to 358 ft | Expected refill, depending on rainfall and river flows |
The last time the lake sat at 350 feet was January 2023. Norman Agnew, owner of Agnew Lake Service and a partner in the Spirit of Lake Murray, told WLTX that a drawdown this deep "is something that is semi-common," happening about every three to five years. He added that businesses don't know when the next one will come until Dominion announces it.
Timing matters more than usual because of the cold. Dominion's reasoning is that dry conditions and freezing temperatures kill the plants in the shallow coves. That's why the lowest water lines up with December and January. Neither SCDES nor Dominion has published measured results from the 2023 drawdown, so there's no public baseline yet for how much a single winter knocks the vegetation back.
What eight feet changes on the water
The 350-foot target is 8 feet below the normal summer level of 358. Dominion's warning is simple: many coves and inlets will be shallower than normal, and boaters should use extra caution. Agnew put it in practical terms in the same WLTX story:
"If the lake is down, there are going to be certain things that are more exposed and therefore need to have more care while you're operating."
One familiar boat will move for the winter. Agnew said the Spirit of Lake Murray's permanent spot at Agnew Lake Service "is too shallow there at 350 contour for us to stay there," so the tour boat relocates during low-water periods like this one.
Public access is harder to pin down. Dominion lists the Irmo-side recreation area at the dam as open year-round, with ramp access at $5 a day or $50 for the season. Since April 1, 2026, parking there has been paid online instead of in cash. The Lexington-side beach runs only from April 9 through Labor Day, so it's closed through the whole drawdown anyway. Dominion's access map shows Dreher Island State Recreation Area, the Dam Site on the Irmo side, and Larry L. Koon Boat Landing as existing access sites. Neither Dominion nor SCDNR publishes which of the lake's ramps can still launch a boat at 350 feet. For a winter launch, check with whoever runs the ramp before you hitch up.
One dam change is permanent. WIS reported on August 13 that the restoration of the dam's five intake towers, which began in January 2024, is finished. The same report said a permanent 200-foot boat-exclusion zone around the towers will be enforced by SCDNR. If you used to idle near the towers, that buffer applies whatever the lake level.
The repair window comes with paperwork
Dominion presents the low water as a chance for maintenance. Iris Griffin, Dominion Energy South Carolina's vice president of power generation, said the drawdown "gives lake residents and businesses an opportunity to perform maintenance and repairs on their private docks or shorelines." Nothing in the announcement waives the approvals that normally apply. Dominion's residential permitting guide, which carries a 2020 revision date, requires approval for work that tends to pile up during a drawdown:
- Dock repair, replacement, additions, or new construction requires an application and an approved permit.
- Riprap, open-cell block, seawalls, and retaining walls can't be built, replaced, repaired, or added without Dominion's permission. Concrete blocks, bricks, and building materials aren't allowed as riprap below the 360-foot contour.
- Seawalls and retaining walls for erosion control must sit on or inside the 360-foot property line, and earth fill below 360 feet is prohibited.
- Removing shoreline vegetation below 360 feet or in the vegetative buffer requires contacting Dominion first.
- Excavation below 360 feet needs authorization. It isn't allowed while the site is under water, and permitted work is limited to October 1 through January 31.
The last item lines up closely with this winter. The excavation season opened October 1, and the lake should be at its lowest from December until the season closes on January 31. On the contractor side, Agnew told WLTX that most of his crews' equipment floats up to a dock, but they can also bring in machines that travel across the exposed lake bottom when needed. Because the guide is a 2020 document, Dominion Lake Management at 803-217-9221 is the place to confirm current requirements.
After January
When the lake starts refilling toward 358 feet next spring, the vegetation question will come back with it. SCDES says it and Dominion will spend this winter on a management plan that works around the lake's existing drinking-water intakes. That plan, the 2,650 carp stocked this year, and however hard this winter freezes will shape what the coves along Johnson Marina Road, Old Lexington Highway, and Crockett Road look like in summer 2027. Until then, Dominion's live gauge on its Lake Murray page is the quickest way to see how far down the lake is on any given morning.
If the low water has you thinking about a dock rebuild or a new seawall, and how that work might add value when you eventually sell, Hannah Norman is happy to talk it through. Browse our Lake Murray neighborhood guide or get your free home valuation. Let's connect while the shoreline is showing.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
